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WelcomeWest Wycombe (not to be confused with West Wickham in Kent) is a small village situated along the A40 road, three miles west of High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire.
The historic village is largely owned by the National Trust and receives a large influx of tourists - being the site of West Wycombe Park, West Wycombe Caves, St Lawrence Church and the Mausoleum on top of West Wycombe Hill.
The Mausoleum, St Lawrence Church and the Golden Ball above West Wycombe village are impressive local landmarks, visually dominating the village and local landscape for miles surrounding.
West Wycombe Park, Caves, Mausoleum and St Lawrence Church were all constructed in the mid-18th century by Sir Francis Dashwood, founder of the Dilettanti Society and co-founder of the notorious Hellfire Club.
Although it is on the busy A40, the village centre retains much of its historical charm. It is mainly owned by the National Trust, and so has resisted modernisation.
The High Street has a number of 'old-fashioned' shops (in appearance at least), as well as three pubs, some small offices, a well-used village hall and St Paul's Church.
Just off the High Street is the village Combined School (ages 4–11). The population is around 1,300.
Our thanks go to The Chiltern Society Photogroup for their kind permission to use members photographs.
Burial Ground, Allotments, Village Hall and Playground images © Mike Henson 2013/14


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SAG-AFTRA mourns the passing of Charles Durning, an army veteran, acclaimed actor and 2007 SAG Life Achievement Award honoree. Durning died Dec. 24 at age 89.
Durning was best known as a character actor, and appeared in hundreds of film and television roles. Among his movie credits were The Sting, Tootsie, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and O Brother, Where Art Thou? On television, he appeared in The High Chaparral, Evening Shade, Homicide: Life on the Street, Everybody Loves Raymond and Rescue Me, and provided the voice for Francis Griffin on Family Guy.
But Durning's adventures onscreen paled in comparison to his real-life exploits in World War II. As a private in the U.S. Army, Durning was among the first soldiers to set foot on Omaha Beach during the Allies' D-Day invasion. His service earned him three Purple Hearts and a Silver Star for valor, but also left him with psychological scars. He learned to channel his inner turmoil into his acting.
Over his career, Durning received multiple Emmy and Academy Awards nominations, and won a Golden Globe for a 1990 miniseries, The Kennedys of Massachusetts. He also distinguished himself in the theater, where he received a Tony award for playing Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1990.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Grassroots in Michigan's
10-10-10 in Support of the 10th Amendment Tea Party!
Our State Capitol
Sunday, Oct. 10th
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved by it to the States respectively, or to the people."
Join your fellow Michigan patriots as we support our 10th Amendment
Sovereignty rights against Unconstitutional Federal over reach such as Obama Care, a prime example of national law that oversteps state jurisdiction and results in the loss of rights of Michigan's citizens.
Sign Contest
We love your Signs!
Prizes given for the top three best original creative signs in our Sign Contest!
Concessions by Clint's Hot Dogs
All American Food and Drink
Speakers Include
Mark Lerner co-Founded two national organizations; the Constitutional Alliance and Stop Real ID Coalition and is the author of the new book and DVD, "Your Body is Your ID" available online and at the event.
Mark has spent the last six years openly speaking out against the same industry he once supported. He has testified before many state legislatures, including Michigan on the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and national/international identification cards.
Rep. Paul Opsommer has been on the forefront in Michigan introducing sovereignty legislation including HJR YY , HB6414 and in the fight against the RFID "enhanced" drivers license in Michigan
Ruth Johnson, GOP candidate for Secretary of State, former Michigan House Rep currently Clerk and Registry of Deeds for Oakland County, second's second largest County. Ruth's investigation helped to expose the "fake" Tea Party and keep them off the November general election ballot.
Justice Robert P. Young, Jr., candidate for Michigan Superme Court. Justice Young has been a member of the Michigan Supreme Court for 11 years. Before joining the Supreme Court, Justice Young served as a judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Mary Beth Kelly, candidate for Michigan Supreme Court. Mary Beth Kelly has served on the Wayne County Circuit Court for eleven years. In 2002, the Michigan Supreme Court appointed her the Chief Judge of the Court, making her the first woman in history to lead that bench.
Bill Schuette, GOP candidate for Attorney General is a former Congressman, Michigan Senator and Michigan Appeals Court judge and currently an attorney.
Tony Demott, Michigan State Coordinator for Campaign for Liberty, Gulf War Veteran, Chairman of the Washtenaw County Board of Canvassers, and Grassroots Activist.


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NEWS- Pagan holiday: Flier policy inspires non-Christians
Veronica Michaelsen would prefer that Albemarle County schools not send fliers from any religious groups home with school kids via "backpack mail." But after the Albemarle School Board, faced with a Constitutional challenge, approved mailings from all nonprofits, including religions, Michaelsen and her fellow NatureSpirit worshippers decided to use the system to educate others about their beliefs.
And so the first mailing from pagans went home with Albemarle children last week.
Adorned with a cross, a Star of David, and a pentagram, the flyer invited recipients to learn about December traditions on December 9, followed by a "Pagan ritual to celebrate Yule."
The calls from concerned parents began almost immediately.
Former Republican city councilor Rob Schilling, now a host on WINA radio's morning show, went to the NatureSpirit website after hearing about the flyer.
"They're talking about witchcraft and magic. Is this appropriate to be sending home with school children?" he asked on his December 5 show.
People who called the show were disturbed to see the Christian and Jewish symbols displayed with the pentagram, says Schilling.
NatureSpirit, a worship group at Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church, believes nature is an important part of spirituality, according to the group's founder, Lonnie Murray.
The group includes Wiccans, but NatureSpirit is not a bunch of witches, clarifies Murray– not that there's anything wrong with witches, he adds.
So why would an offshoot of the admittedly liberal congregation decide to promote paganism in public schools?
"I grew up in this county," says Murray. "I know how difficult it is for any minority student. There's a lot of pressure to conform... We have a fair number of young pagans in our group."
Murray says the flier sends a message of "diversity, not of proselytization." He's reassured one upset parent that pagans are not "anti-Christian."
Jefferson Park Baptist Church Pastor Jeff Riddle posted the flier on his blog, and notes the zeal of pagans to "take back" Christmas.
"If the school allows the Baptist or Methodist church to send home a note to its students about Vacation Bible School, it also has to allow the Unitarian Church to send home a note about its 'Pagan ritual to celebrate Yule,' Riddle warns. "Conservative Christians who want to 'put prayer back in school' had better realize that it might not always be a Christian who is leading the prayers."
The point of his blog posting, says Riddle, is less to debate the school policy than to "encourage evangelical Christians to think about alternative education, given that you can't count on public schools to reinforce what we think is important."
The Riddle children are home schooled. "In public school, you can't refer to the Biblical authority– and I'm not sure they should," Riddle notes.
Albemarle opened the doors to religious nonprofits this fall after a demand from conservative Christian-backed group, Liberty Counsel. Diane Behrens, the county official in charge of approving fliers, has seen two or three religious flyers go in backpack mail so far this year.
"I wouldn't say I've had an increase," says Behrens. Under the old policy, she would have denied religious-themed fliers; now they're approved. She's had three or four phone calls about the pagan flier.
"I reiterate that we cannot discriminate on witch fliers as long as they're not discriminatory or lewd," she says.
And the fliers carry a disclaimer that Albemarle neither endorses nor pays for the message.
"Overall, the response has been positive," says Murray. "It speaks well of Albemarle County and the area that there's so much tolerance for diversity."
Still, Murray hesitates to announce his religion to the world. "As a minority, non-proselytizing religion, even with adults who are doctors, scientists... there's always a bit of fear. It takes courage to come out and say it."
NatureSpirit founder Lonnie Murray and member Veronica Michaelsen want to educate Albemarle school children about paganism with a December 9 winter solstice program at Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church.


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